>>842936
(2/2)

"This is Recce, two trucks and a staff car just split off from the end of the convoy and pulled up to a lone house, they're disembarking. Looks like ... radios and communications gear, officer looks like a Hauptmann, just the one of them." You peer through the trees for a few seconds and just catch sight of the tip of the house's roof over the top of the embankment ahead of you.

"Copy, Recce, they're probably setting up a forward observation post for artillery. Wait one for orders." Unfortunately, it also puts them smack dab in the middle of your way, and there's no way they'll miss you if you cross the embankment in force.

> Have Recce engage the OP suddenly and quietly, silence it with minimal fuss and be gone by the time anyone comes to investigate.
> Try to move further South and find a safer crossing point, it could be a long trip though, and would leave you isolated and at risk.
> Assault the OP with your forces en masse, obliterate them and move on before the Germans can react.
> Other

>>842938
>> Have Recce engage the OP suddenly and quietly, silence it with minimal fuss and be gone by the time anyone comes to investigate.

>>842938
>> Have Recce engage the OP suddenly and quietly, silence it with minimal fuss and be gone by the time anyone comes to investigate.

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> Have Recce engage the OP suddenly and quietly, silence it with minimal fuss and be gone by the time anyone comes to investigate.

"Recce, engage and overwhelm that OP, quickly and quietly, dismount your vehicles if you have to, just get it done then signal us and we'll move across the embankment, we'll be gone before Jerry can send anyone back to check up." There's a couple of seconds of silence, then the radio crackles.

"Confirmed Able, Recce's moving now." The next ten minutes are spent in silence, tension mounting as you wait for Ingham's report. Suddenly there's a trio of small arm pops from the direction of the house, then a burst of automatic fire. Then silence. Shit, one way or another, you have to get moving now.

"Able to all Able vehicles, restart your engines and move towards the embankment!" The air is once again filled with the rumble of Meteor engines revving up when a voice cuts through the chatter of affirmatives.

"Able this is Recce-Able, assault team was engaged within the OP, but they're reporting it all clear now, no casualties." It's one of the other Stuart commanders under Ingham. You let out a sigh of relief as the column begins rolling forward again at as good a pace as the woodland terrain will allow.

"Understood, pass my regards to Ingham, I want Recce back to screening our advance as soon as possible." You now finally reach the embankment, a steep rise slightly taller than your Cromwells with the rails on top and trees cleared for about 20 feet either side. Two and Three Troop have crested it with relative ease and Caesar claws its way up the slope with minimal fuss too, followed by the rest of the HQ Troop. As Four Troop moves up behind you however, Lieutenant Garnett's urgent voice cuts into the radio chatter.

"Able 4-2 stop your fucking tank! You keep that angle any further up and you'll roll her." Fuck, you look back over your tank but you can't see the Four Troop tank over the embankment itself, good thing One Troop was at the back where they could keep an eye on things.

"Uh- yes, sir, sorry sir." One of the rookie commanders from Four Troop replies, a Lance-Corporal who had to replace their injured Troop Sergeant if you remember correctly.

"Straighten up your approach and give it some throttle or the tank'll self-steer and you'll flip, now pull back and follow my tracks up and over Lance-Corporal." The irritation is clear in Garnett's voice, you can't blame him. You hate being called 'sir' too. A couple of minutes later though, One and Four Troop make it over the embankment without further issue and the Squadron rolls off Eastwards.

"Able, this is Recce, we're ready to get back on the road, but there's some stuff you might want to see from that OP." Ingham sounds almost giddy, must've been quite the find.

"Like what Lieutenant? Now's hardly the time for suspense."

(1/2)

>>843221
(2/2)

"Maps sir, maps of all the German positions up to Division level, they were still unpacking them when we burst in, their Captain died rather than give 'em up without a fight. There's also five German prisoners and a bundle of reports, as well as some radios and the like. Practically a treasure trove for Division Intelligence." Well bugger you for a fish fork, that is quite the find. The question is what do you do with it.

> Stop the Column, you'll go investigate yourself.
> Have one of the carrier patrols gather as much of it as they can and bring it back to you, you can stow the intel in tanks and the prisoners can be sent back to Regiment with a couple of spare crewmen.
> Have one of the carrier patrols take it straight back to Regiment, this could turn the battle around in the right hands.
> No time, grab what you can quickly, blow the rest and leave the prisoners tied up nearby, you can always come back for them later.
> Other

>>843230
>> Have one of the carrier patrols take it straight back to Regiment, this could turn the battle around in the right hands.

>>843230
>> Have one of the carrier patrols take it straight back to Regiment, this could turn the battle around in the right hands.

File: Map of Wittmann's attack.jpg (447 KB, 1000x1044)

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> Have one of the carrier patrols take it straight back to Regiment, this could turn the battle around in the right hands.

"Recce, detach one of your carrier patrols, load them up with the prisoners, maps and everything else you can pull out of that house, then send them straight back to Regiment. Regiment, you'll want to have some trucks to hurry it back to Divisional HQ too, this could be big."

"Already standing by Major." Lt-Col Holliman responds personally this time.

"Understood Able, the rest of Recce's ready to move then, we'll spread the screen a little thinner. By the by Major, one of those maps had the position of the forward command posts of both 2nd Panzer Division's Recce Battalion and 3. Panzer Regiment's Panzer Abteilung II. They've both taken forward positions just to the South of Route 213 in a small Hamlet, marked as La Ciderie." Hmm, that'll make attacking them risky, but if they're both in the same place it could also make any attack against them devastating if successful and possessing the element of surprise. "Elements of Panzergrenadier Regiment 304's 1st Battalion have begun arriving too, and their HQ's setting up in a small hamlet to the West of La Ciderie. Seems like that's going to be the area their Kampfgruppe is commanded from."

"What about Regimental and Division HQs?"

"Still well off to the South Able, too far in my opinion."

"Alright, thank you Recce, we're still a short ways West of there anyway, so for now we will simply proceed at best speed before German units come to investigate." You keep moving Eastwards, passing the former OP shortly, a couple of men from the Carrier Patrol dragging a pair of bayoneted German bodies by the front gate out of sight. The woods extend right up to the house's high stone wall, which must have allowed the recon troops their stealthy approach. Soon though you are past the house and back into the thick of the woods. You check your map again, you should be almost directly south of Route 213 now, and with your newfound intel you could move North to engage the 2nd Panzer Division's combat units in the rear, engage either of the HQ positions to the North-West, these would all mean leaving the cover of the woods for at least a short time, though hedgerows would still give you a good chance of staying undetected. Alternatively you could circle even further East, looking for other targets.

> Circle further East, maybe you'll find something even better, somehow.
> Head straight North and smash the combat strength of the Germans immediately, German Officers are trained to handle loss of higher command as a matter of course anyway.
> Head North-West and prepare to engage the Infantry HQ at the Hamlet.
> Head North-West, circling the hamlet to get shots at La Ciderie directly.

Apolgies for the map, it's well out of date by this point in the battle, but it's the only one I could find that shows the entirety of the hamlet (La Hauts Vents) and La Ciderie.

>>843478
>> Head straight North and smash the combat strength of the Germans immediately, German Officers are trained to handle loss of higher command as a matter of course anyway.
The Germans might not expect such a brunt and brutal attack from the British

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>> INFO POST 7: A Sqdn, 5 RTR ORBAT, Afternoon 13th June
These are the forces currently at your disposal.

- (F) denotes a female crew enlisted under the WEMS Act.

>HQ TROOP
Major David Stanley, OC, Commander, Cromwell VIIw 'Caesar'
Captain Eleanor Welchley, 2iC, Commander, Cromwell Vw 'Aethelfled' (F) - 2 LV kills
Squadron Sergeant Major Turnbull, Commander, Cromwell VI CS 'Alamein'
Corporal Evans, Commander, Cromwell VI CS 'Aggressor'
> Temporary
Captain O'Leery, Commander, Sherman V OP, 5th RHA
Lieutenant Mitchell, Commander, Cromwell ARV 'Engineer', 5 RTR
Sergeant Macmillan, OC AA Troop, Commander, Crusader AA Mk II 'Skyraker', 5 RTR
Corporal Kemp, Commander, Crusader AA Mk II 'Fly-swatter', 5 RTR
>ONE TROOP (WAHED TROOP)
Lieutenant Jackie Garnett, OC 1 Troop, Commander, Cromwell IV 'Eastnor II'
Troop Sergeant Pegg, Commander, Cromwell V 'Entrance'
Corporal Kippering, Commander, Cromwell IV 'Elite'
Sergeant Sharp, Commander, Sherman VC Firefly 'Executioner V' - 1 Tiger
>TWO TROOP
Lieutenant Oliver, OC 2 Troop Commander, Cromwell Vw 'Elodie' (F)
Troop Sergeant 'Jockey' Dieppe, Commander, Cromwell V 'Eraser'
Corporal Poole, Commander, Cromwell IV (unnamed replacement vehicle) (F)
Sergeant Blackburn, Commander, Sherman VC Firefly 'Erin' (F) - 2 Tigers
>THREE TROOP
Lieutenant Roy Dixon, OC 3 Troop, Commander, Cromwell V 'Encounter'
Troop Sergeant Penn, Commander, Cromwell IV 'Enterprise'
Corporal McCollugh, Cromwell IV 'Endeavour'
Corporal William Bridge, Commander, Sherman IC Firefly 'End'
>FOUR TROOP
Lieutenant Warner Allen, OC 4 Troop, Commander, Cromwell IV 'Escargot'
Lance Corporal Hurney, Commander, Cromwell V 'Entente'
Sergeant Lee, Commander, Cromwell IV 'Essex'
Corporal Lloyd, Commander, Sherman VC Firefly 'Elephant'
>RECCE FORCES
Lieutenant Ingham, OC Recce Troop, Commander, Stuart V Recce 'Elusive'
Sergeant Wright, Commander, Stuart V 'Peeping Tom'
Corporal Keen, Commander, Stuart V 'Egg'
> Carrier Patrol
Sergeant Hirst, Universal Carrier
Corporal Brown, Universal Carrier
Corporal Eyres, Universal Carrier

> Head straight North and smash the combat strength of the Germans immediately, German Officers are trained to handle loss of higher command as a matter of course anyway.

"Recce, screen our flanks, we're going to move North and engage the main German strength along Route 213 from the rear. We'll smash open an avenue for our forces to counter-attack into the rear echelons of the German advance, then we can deal with their HQ at leisure. All Able vehicles move out, stay low and keep noise to a minimum, we need to catch them unawares for this to work right."

"Able, this is Regiment, we'll let Brigade know the plan, they should keep the Germans occupied while you get into position."

"Understood, appreciate it sir." Alright, now you just have to get into position without getting spotted or stuck amongst the blasted hedgerows. Your Company rolls North, soon leaving the woods and quickly crossing the road to Evercy, thankfully bereft of German traffic for the moment, though it shows plenty of signs of recent usage by armoured vehicles. From there you cut into the bocage proper, negotiating a pair of hedgerow ringed fields with only a pair or single opening on a particular side, if any as the sounds of battle become more and more immediate. Finally, Two Troop's lead tank stops at the edge of the second field, and the whole column rolls to a halt.

"Able, this is Able-2, we've spotted the German forces, at least four Mark IV tanks and some infantry elements with a few half-tracks and more Panzers and infantry to the North of them that we can't get a good look at from here. Looks like they're engaging North-West across the Route 213, the railway embankment's much lower here, but we could still get in hull down behind it, or try to move a bit more Westwards and make use of that copse of trees to close to point blank. Or we could just rush the bastards." Lieutenant Oliver's voice is on edge, spoiling for a fight.

"Able this is Recce, we can see movement to both flanks, but it doesn't look like anyone's onto us yet." Well then, crunch time.

> Rush forward, use your superior speed and manoeuvrability to close in with the enemy and assault them, of course, without your own infantry it's a big risk.
> Try to sneak North West into the copse of trees, it might not be a perfect vantage point but it will give you plenty of concealment and let you get to very close range with the enemy, provided it's unoccupied that is.
> Move in behind the railway embankment into hull down positions, it's exposed somewhat, but equally will offer a better view of German positions to the North and North-West while making you very defensible from those directions, even if they do spot you.
> Hold position, set up a defensive position in the field and wait for an opportunity.
> Wait, you need to rethink this, pull back a ways and reassess.
> Other

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>>843779
A very imperfect tacmap, A Sqdn's the arrow at the Southern edge of the map, positions of both friendlies and enemies are tentative and fluid, fighting along Route 213 has become heavily mixed in and confused thanks to the terrain and three pronged push by the Germans.

>>843779
>Try to sneak North West into the copse of trees, it might not be a perfect vantage point but it will give you plenty of concealment and let you get to very close range with the enemy, provided it's unoccupied that is.

I´m here late boss

>Try to sneak North West into the copse of trees, it might not be a perfect vantage point but it will give you plenty of concealment and let you get to very close range with the enemy, provided it's unoccupied that is.

"Alright everyone, we're going to head North-West into that copse of trees, the Germans shouldn't be able to spot us there. Two Troop, you have the lead. Everyone keep your eyes peeled, we don't want to roll into the middle of a German position by accident." Your Squadron chorus back affirmatives and you move out again, this time with each Troop spreading to form a skirmish line. You cross the low railway embankment here quickly and seemingly without being spotted by German forces as a rolling barrage of 25-pounder shells keeps them occupied. Soon a hedgerow blocks line of sight to the original German forces you spotted and you hunker down in your cupola, staring intently outt the top with just your head protruding, searching for any signs of Kraut's hiding in the nearby foliage.

"Able this is Able-Victor, spotted what looks like more infantry moving up to our right, just ahead of us too. That Hamlet is just a past those trees to our North-East I think."

"Understood Captain, One Troop, move to secure our North-Eastern Flank, Four Troop will do the same for our South-West. HQ, Two and Three Troops will push into the copse and engage what targets we see."

Ahead of you Two and Three Troop spread to either side as they enter the copse which is, upon closer inspection, barely deeper than the hedgerows around it, while HQ Troop rolls between them into position as well. Behind you, Four and One Troop split off, One turning around to take up positions covering the open field to your right, while Four heads left to hide amongst the hedges. Caesar leads the HQ Troop into the foliage, and you guide Bob to a position where you can see out North-North-West, straight up to the edge of Route 213, with Welchley just to you left, the CS's beyond her, the AA tanks on your right and the ARV tucked away behind you. In front of you, less than 200 yards away, are over a dozen Mark IV tanks spread across the side of the road, their backs to you and firing away at British positions on the other side. Around them, infantry scurry back and forth to firing positions and foxholes between shell bursts which continue to land sporadically, while a trio of German mortars return fire and a battery of four Anti-Tank guns is wheeled into position slowly. Six half-tracks are drawn up behind them, loading up wounded and unloading ammunition. They are all so occupied with the combat ahead of them that none seemingly have thought to look behind and your approach is wholly unanticipated.

"Able this is Recce, we're returning to your position, it's way to tight in here, we can't screen any longer."

(1/2)

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>>844524
(2/2)

"Copy Recce, understood, get back here quick as you can, just follow the gunfire." With that, you close the hatch completely after one last check around you reveals no hidden Germans creeping up to you with Panzerfausts. "Able to all Able vehicles, pick your targets and engage on my shot." The Fireflys call their targets first, a pair of IVs on either end of the line to make sure the Germans can't retreat using the road easily, then you and the other officers identify your chosen Tanks, the Cromwell CS's line up shots on AT Guns, and the Crusader AAs simply pick a direction to start traversing from. One picks left, the other right.

"Fire!" You yell over the radio and Caesar bucks, flinging a shell straight through the flimsy rear armour of your chosen panzer, which simply sits there, unmoving. An instant later, the rest of the Squadron follows suit and the field explodes into chaos.

Well, that's that for this week's Tankies. Won't be running again until next week, but I hope to catch you all then for what will probably, finally be the end of Tankies Quest. Maybe. You'll never know unless you come join in. As usual, archives and Twitter are below. And I just realised I forgot to link them in the OP like a twat.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Danontg
Archive: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=Tankies%20Quest

>>844550

Thanks for the run boss, diferent time zone is the bane off all quest.

>>844561
Yeah a little bit, probably doesn't help that historical/light alt-history quests don't really seem to draw a lot of attention these days, but not much I can do about that.

>>844571
You´re right, bad for me, I love this "genre"
Still I think the reason is that /qst/ dont like to use brainpower. Look at the popular non anime quest, the QM can bullshit the sesion and no one note anything (except for Shinobi quest)

>>844664
It's just a bit of a niche appeal I think. Not necessarily a matter of smarter or dumber.

>>845452
I was following it in the beginning but had to pull back once uni exams approached. Keen for next week though - love the detail.